Do you ever feel fettered, confined, restricted, bound, limited.....both in thought and movement? Do you ever feel as if your thoughts and actions are dictated by others and outside sources? Do you ever sense the weight of the chains of this world and feel like Atlas?
Not too long ago,I heard someone say in passing, that he felt like Atlas and "needed to break free". At the time I laughed, along with everyone else, but, as with many of my posting topics, this one got parked somewhere in my cerebrum and has simmered, like a good pot of soup. Yesterday, my SO and I got stuck in a conversational loop about the woes of the world and I came away from the discussion feeling like Atlas. When I made the connection to what another had said about Atlas, I smiled and thought to myself, "Oh, lighten up!" I made myself smile and moved on. But......Atlas stayed with me and emerged, once again, this morning from my subconscious. I decided to go browsing online and re-acquaint myself with Atlas. I'm confident I had a teacher, somewhere along the line, who taught all about Atlas during a Greek mythology unit, but at the time I was having 'none of that' and paid too little attention. (Oh, to go back in school-time!)
In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who carried the heavens on his back. He was condemned by Zeus to stand at the western edge of Gaia (Earth) and hold up Uranus (the Sky) on his shoulders, to prevent the two from resuming their primordial embrace. A common interpretation, today, is that Atlas was forced to hold the Earth on his shoulders, but the Classical interpretation portrays Atlas as supporting the celestial spheres, not a globe. (Paraphrased from Wikipedia.)
For me, the key difference between Atlas and us Atlas-wanna-be's is that Atlas' fate was determined by someone else; i.e. Zeus, whereas, we assume the Atlas posture pretty much from a volunteer position. Oh, I have no doubt that, when I feel like Atlas, others may have played into that current mind-set, but the ultimate answer is that I allowed myself to get into whatever situation I would then give anything to be released from. I may not want to accept that conclusion when I am in the throes of 'Whymedom', but I do know, upon careful inspection, that it was choices made by me that got me to where I didn't want to be.
What I need to do now is go back to Greek mythology and search out a character who was pelted by life but was able to continually throw off the constant onslaught, discarding woes and issues right and left, just like a discus thrower would do. I like that mental image. Feel a weight......toss it out the window of life.
I'm opening my windows right now. I hope you'll do the same.
Ancora imparo
